USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Historical sketches : a collection of papers prepared for the Historical Society of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 12
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THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.
cent to the Delaware river. Thus we find that the whole river front from Philadelphia to Easton became dotted with settle- ments of Quakers. I am conversant with their settlements in Bucks county at Solebury; Buckingham, Wrightstown and Penns Manor; in Montgomery county at Horsham, Abington, Gwynedd, Whitemarsh, Plymouth and Merion; at Radnor in Delaware county, and largely in Chester county. In all these places we can still find some of their early homes, where they were free to worship as they pleased. So when William Penn left them in 1684, he left behind him a colony of seven hun- dred people, most of whom were Friends, living in peace with the Indians and earnestly engaged in providing for their families and in setting up meetings in accordance with the discipline used in England. Time will not allow me to recount the many striking incidents which prove how anxious they were to promote the comforts of all within their settlements.
Friends did not forget, while striving to get comfortable homes, their religious duties, but also established meetings for worship wherever a few families were gathered together. They were not ignorant people; many of them indeed were fine scholars, and therefore were early engaged in providing facilities for educating their children. It has no doubt been observed by you all that in every Quaker community where there is a meeting house there is also a school house. Schools were early established, and in 1695 the Yearly Meeting advised "that school masters and mistresses, who were faithful Friends and well qualified, be encouraged in all counties, cities and great towns where there may be need, and that care be taken that poor Friends' children may freely partake of such educa- tion as may tend to their benefit and advantage in order to apprenticeship." They always had an eye to utility in educa- tion. Even before that time, in 1687, only five years from their first appearance in the state, William Bradford, printer, laid before the meeting proposals for printing the Bible, and it was directed that each monthly meeting in the county should use its endeavors to forward the same. This was done. In 1689, Friends, through their meetings, established a school in
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Philadelphia, which in the next year was made a "free school to all those who choose to come, little children excepted who are learning their primers, in which was taught reading, writ- ing, arithmetic, merchants' acccounts, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew." Again in 1690 William Bradford applied to Friends for assistance to enable him to continue his printing press in Philadelphia. The Yearly Meeting advised that sub- scriptions be made for the purpose, which was done and report made to the Quarterly Meeting. These things show how careful Friends were, not only to provide education for their children, but also to diffuse information among the peo- ple. Being intelligent, honest and capable, they held import- ant places of trust and honor in communities, and in manag- ing the affairs of the county; and so faithful were they and efficient, that they established for themselves that good name for uprightness which the society has maintained even to the present day among the people. Hundreds of people not Friends can testify to their worth and to their beneficent influence in Eastern Pennsylvania.
LOCAL HISTORY.
By William J. Buck. 139
In response to the toast assigned me, I shall endeavor to be brief. Local history is the parent of general history, and as it descends in its subjects, so it correspondingly increases in interest. I mean from the several nations of the earth to our own country, thence to the state, the county, the town or township, and finally to our neighborhood, families and homes. Were it not for this, interest in time would diminish in Mount Vernon, Independence Hall and Valley Forge, and how many more places, were I prone, could be enumerated. What has made the Catskill and Sleepy Hollow so delightful to visit but the pen of the local historian? "There is," says Washington Irving, "an inexpressible charm imparted to every place that has been celebrated by the historian, or immortalized by the poet; a charm that dignifies it in the eyes of a stranger and endears it to the heart of the native inhabitant."
In a letter written by Robert Burns in 1785, he says: "I am hurt to see other towns, rivers, woods and hills of Scotland immortalized in song, while my dear native baileries of Car- rick, Cyle and Cunningham, famous both in ancient and mod- ern times, a country the birth-place of many famous philoso- phers, soldiers and statesmen, and the scene of many important events recorded in history, are neglected. Yet we have never had one Scotch poet of any eminence to make the fertile banks of Irvine, the romantic woodlands and sequestered scenes on Ayr, and the healthy mountainous courses and winding sweep on Doon, emulate the Tay, Forth, Ettrick and Tweed. This is a complaint I would gladly remedy. But, alas! I am unequal to the task, both in genius and education." This was only a year preceding the publication of the first edition of his poems.
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Yet how short a time elapsed before he did remedy the neglect of which he complained; before he invested the Irvine, the Ayr and the Doon with charms more attractive than their own surpassing beauty, more permanent perhaps than their own existence, inspired thereto, as he confesses, chiefly through the power of the local historian.
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A love for local history is based on a love for home and country, for kindred and for friends, and it is as well a promoter of patriotism and an incentive to virtuous emulation. It is ele- vating, refining, and above all instructive, because it contin- ually presents us with the results of experience. Hence it has been well said that history should make men wise by the lessons it taught from example. And what has brought us hither but a regard for local history? And what are the chief objects of this society but its preservation ? My sympathies are with you; they have been interested in the cause long, long ago, until it has become a part of my nature, and I and my early love I am sure will never separate, or worse, fall out.
The Historical Society of Montgomery County has a mission to perform in the collection and preservation of mater- ials, for its area is rich in historical associations. Here have once lived the Indians, followed by the Swedes, the Dutch, the English, the Welsh, the Germans, the Scotch, and the Irish, whose descendants are now the citizens of a mighty
republic. More than two and a quarter centuries ago the records of the Holland Company speak of the great beaver trade on the Schuylkill. The Little Schuylkill in consequence was called by the Delaware Indians "Tamaquan," signifying the Beaver stream. Coming down later we find a most singu- lar contest between the navigators and the shore men for the mastery of this romantic stream. Graeme Park is rich in history, literature and romance of the colonial period. Then later we have Whitemarsh, Valley Forge, Barren Hill, and all that precedes and follows the battle of Germantown. Here David Rittenhouse pursued his philosophical studies, and John James Audubon commenced the greatest work on birds yet known. In these limits, too, was born a Major General
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of the Revolution, a speaker of the first Congress of 1789, and three Governors of Pennsylvania. I can not ascend our hill- tops to view the magnificent scenery spread around, or pass up and down the valley of the Schuylkill without feeling emotions for the great events that have transpired here in the past, while the present astonishes for the enterprise it exhibits on every hand, and I am thus puzzled for what will happen in the next two centuries.
To the members of this society, as well as to others en- gaged in the pursuit and collection of material for local history, I have, without going far away, an illustrious example to pre- sent. With John F. Watson, a fellow member of the Pennsyl- vania Historical Society, I became acquainted in the beginning of 1854. This acquaintance ripened into a friendship that re- sulted in a correspondence between us for several years. In my first visit he stated how, through his long and close atten- tion to business, his antiquarian researches had afforded him great pleasure and satisfaction in what otherwise might have proved a rather monotonous existence. In 1814 he was elected cashier of the Bank of Germantown, which office he held from its organization until 1847, when he was chosen Secretary and Treasurer of the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad Company. This office he occupied until the summer of 1859, and had attained his eightieth year, when he resigned to return to private life. As will be observed, his last two of- ficial positions continued for the long period of forty-five years, in all of which time it is said he lost but a few days through sickness. We can not fail to admire this remarkable industry of the man and his devotion to his business for so long a period. and in the meantime turning as he did his antiquarian and his- torical labors into pleasure and amusement to himself, and for instruction to the public without any expectation of pecuniary reward. Such a man may well be regarded a benefactor, and though now for some time dead, his works survive to be read, admired and cherished. His life, therefore, presents a remark- able example of industry and close application to a very ad- vanced age; clearly demonstrating in addition that a favorite
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hobby can be pursued with success by proper management so as not to interfere with the duties that any one may properly owe unto himself, his family or others, and yet redound to the general benefit.
I shall now compare Montgomery county, through its grand memories of the past, to a majestic oak that has been all but a century in growing, bearing aloft amongst its several branches, for the seekers thereof, clusters of the choicest fruit. Its leaves, the pages of its history, drop off with every year, but to be renewed that its soil may be invigorated. Let its possessors care for it. May it yet be long before it will show symptoms of decay. The storm and lightning of a score of years ago tried it, and caused some of its product prematurely to drop to the ground; it fortunately was but a trial of its strength, and it stands now more noble and erect than ever. An enumeration of its yield was made not two years ago, and by the next decade it promises a still larger increase. Time adds to its trunk every year a cycle. To treasure that oak, to per- petuate a knowledge thereof, not only when it came forth a mere sprout in 1784, but of its parent trunk planted in 1682, to which it owed its existence and found its protection-this is now the legacy which has fallen to the Montgomery County Historical Society, and may it prove no unworthy heir. The growth and progress of this tree is worthy the charge. The soil has proved rich and productive with no sign of exhaus- tion. Grow on, then, noble, tree! Flourish centuries more! May your products be worthy of you, and your shadow never be less! Now every fragment of old times is like this tree and has a history; it gives an inkling of something characteristic of the circumstances and manners of its day, and so sets the mind at work. To bring forth and perpetuate this informa- tion, however, devolves on the local historian.
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THE SWEDES.
By Dr. George W. Holstein, in response to a toast, 1882.
As a lineal descendant of those Swedes who crossed the ocean as early as 1636, I am deeply conscious of the compli- ment thus paid to their memory, and yet I feel that it is justly due, in view of the results accomplished by them and their influence in moulding the destines of this great country.
Trained at home in a love for the practical teachings of the "Sermon on the Mount" and the general truths of revealed religion, they early planted the Cross of Calvary upon these shores, and in all their intercourse with the natives and others illustrated the principles heralded thereby.
By fair and honorable dealings they gained the confidence of the Indians, and lived among them upon the most amicable terms. Their influence over them was remarkable, as was evinced by many of the natives attaching themselves to the educational and religious institutions established by them, thus rendering much more easy the great work accomplished by William Penn, who came here over forty years later as the representative of the English Crown, supported by all the vast influence of that powerful nation, commissioned by King Charles II. to act as Proprietary Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, having received a grant of land lying north of that occupied by Lord Baltimore, and west of the river Dela- ware. This was in lieu of a claim of sixteen thousand pounds due him for services rendered by his father, Rear Admiral Penn, a distinguished officer of the British navy. The charter for this grant still hangs in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth at Harrisburg, dated March 4, 1681. Wil- liam Penn reached here in October, 1682. And now, in this bi-centennial year of that event, when it is proposed to cele-
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brate it with distinguished honors, while I would not for one moment detract from the glory to which I believe he is emi- nently entitled, yet I do not wish the fact to be lost sight of that the Swedes were among the first to establish friendly relations with the natives; that the first translation into the Indian dialect was the Swedish catechism by Rev. John Cam- panius, a Swedish missionary.
In 1642, six years after their arrival, Col. John Printz, of the Swedish army, was sent over as Governor of the colony. His instructions, dated Stockholm, August 15, 1642, contained twenty-eight articles, embracing his duties: first, in relation to the Swedes; second, to the Europeans living in the vicinity ; and third, to the Indians. With respect to these latter, the Governor was directed to confirm, immediately after his arrival, the treaty with them by which they had conveyed to the Swedes the western shore of the Delaware from Cape Henlo- pen to the Falls of Sanhickan, since called Trenton, and as much inland as gradually should be wanted. Also to ratify the bargain for land on the east side, and in these and future purchases to regard them as the rightful owners of the country.
He was to treat all the neighboring tribes in the most equitable and humane manner, so that no injury, by violence or otherwise, should be done to them by any of his people. ·He had also in charge to accomplish, as far as practicable, the embracing of Christianity by them, and their adoption of the manners and customs of civilized life.
He was accompanied by Rev. John Campanius as chap- lain of the colony. In 1653, Governor Printz was succeeded by Governor John Claudius Rising, who soon after invited ten of the leading Indian chiefs to a friendly conference. It was held at Tinicum on the 17th of June, 1654.
He saluted them in the name of the Swedish Queen, with assurances of her favor, put them in mind of the purchase of lands already made, and requested a continuation of their friendship. He distributed various presents among them, and gave a good entertainment to them and their company. They were much pleased, and assured him of faithful affection.
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One of the chiefs, Naaman, made a speech, during which he remarked that "the Swedes and the Indians had been as one body and one heart, and that thenceforward they should be as one head," and at the same time making a motion as if he were tying a strong knot; and then made this comparison, "that as the calabash was round without any crack, so they should be a compact body without any fissure."
Campanius represents the Indians as having been frequent visitors at his grandfather's house in Delaware county, which gave him an opportunity of studying their language, in which he became quite proficient.
In the conversations he had there with them, he succeed- ed in impressing upon their minds the great truths of Christ- ianity and awakening a deep interest among them, hence his translation of Luther's Catechism.
They attached great value to this act, as evincing a deeper interest in their welfare than that indicated by mere lip service, and it thenceforward proved a bond of union, binding them in acts of devotion and fealty to the Swedes.
The Swedes gave the great and good Penn a most cordial welcome and the benefit of their influence and experience, for which he was truly grateful, and which he kindly acknowl- edged in a letter to his friends at home in 1683.
This society does itself credit in thus honoring the mem- ory of a people who were among the earliest to locate in this vicinity, and who established regulations and usages that have exercised a refining and elevating influence in shaping the morals and habits of the community around us. I thank you for the opportunity of saying thus much in their behalf.
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MEN OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN STATE AND NATIONAL LEGISLATION.
By Hon. A. B. Longaker, in response to a toast, 1882.
Nearly one hundred years ago, by the legislative mandate of the General Assembly, on the 10th day of September, 1784, there sprang into municipal being a county; and as our wise fathers and good mothers gathered at the christening, she was baptized in the name of Montgomery. As she assumed her rank amongst the sisterhood of counties, she was numerically designated as the thirteenth sister. Although the thirteenth in number (and however paridoxical it may seem), yet it may be regarded as historically accurate that by birth she is to be considered the tenth sister. This anomaly occurs from the fact that the parent county, Philadelphia, together with Bucks and Chester, in origin are coeval with the formation of the provincial government, and hence these three are historically known as the provincial counties. In territory the new county extended northward to the counties of Berks and Northamp- ton and was bounded on the east by the whole of Bucks; on the south by the remaining portion of the parent county; and on the west by the county of Chester.
Another marvelous characteristic of this new sister was, that simultaneously with her creation she lost her babyhood, because she had conferred upon her "all and singular the juris- dictions, rights, powers, privileges, liabilities, communities and restrictions," as fully and as largely as had therebefore been conferred upon and were thus enjoyed by her elder sisters. To start her in the full dress of womanhood, provisions were made to locate and erect a court-house and prison on territory somewhat adjacent to the Schuylkill river and Stony creek. In order to select a site and purchase the ground, Henry Paw-
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MEN OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
ling, Jr., Jonathan Roberts, George Smith, Robert Shannon and Henry Cunnard were appointed Commissioners. In the course of time, all else necessary to a complete county munici- pality ensued, and good "Old Montgomery," as her sons de- light to call her, started upon a prosperous career, and has ever since enjoyed an illustrious history.
I am admonished, however, that the peculiar duty assign- ed me is to speak of the "Men of Montgomery County in State and National Legislation." Returning again to 1784, and strolling along the pathway of our public men to this day, a period running through three full generations of men, I realize the fact that to have produced only a catalogue of the names of the great, good and illustrious men who have been the actors in state and national legislation involves an inquiry demanding thorough research and much labor; and as want of time has precluded an opportunity to gain such definite information, I will be compelled to mention only those whose names readily occur to a momentary recollection. And after all, it is, perhaps, more pleasing and instructive to speak of the principles of men, rather than of their personality.
Man, unable to penetrate the future, delights to push his inquiries into the rich treasuries of the hidden past, essaying the most active researches to interrogate his early ancestors and to discover all that is good and meritorious, and wisely to let sleep in its dusty oblivion all that is bad and censurable. Stimulated by this laudable desire, the thought of the Histor- ical Society found accurate expression in the toast assigned me, and I can well realize the disappointment which here ensues because I bring to your intellectual feast only a few rough stones instead of polished jewels.
The important local events which preceded, attended and followed the formation of this county, are so indissolubly con- nected with its legislative actors, that a discussion of the former necessarily sheds its lustre upon the latter; and to speak of our illustrious dead in legislation by a discussion of principles rather than to pronounce their eulogy, or to attempt a biog- raphy of the living, will best serve my purpose on this occasion.
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A pleasing recollection, however, recalls the names of a few, and some of whom were very important factors in state and national legislation contemporary with the origin of the county. The name of no one is more prominent in national legislation than that of the Hon. Jonathan Roberts. The influences of his ever active home life and political efforts live throughout the early and middle history of our county, and all that was progressive and conducive to the public welfare found in him an able advocate, as is fully attested in his earnest work. A few who were his contemporaries, and those of a later day, are suggested by the names of Gross, Markley, Pawling, Sterigere, Freedley, Fornance, Fry, Yost, McNair and Jones, all in national legislation (the living are omitted). To enum- erate in state legislation would involve a long catalogue. Let it suffice to remark that the legislators were almost without exception men far above the average of many other counties, and they have been repeatedly honored by official positions conferred by the state at large. In the House of Representa- tives, three were honored with the position of Speaker; in the Senate, one. Canal Commissioners and Auditor Generals have been selected from amongst us, and our county deservedly and emphatically is entitled to be called the "mother of Gov- ernors." Three of her sons, Porter, Shunk and Hartranft, have been honored Governors of this state, and a fourth, Gen- eral Andrew Porter, the Governor of a sister state.
Mr. President, I can sincerely say that I am honored and delighted to be present with you at this intellectual feast; “it pays." I hope to meet you on many like occasions.
SOMETHING ABOUT LOWER MERION. 149
By Miss Margaret B. Harvey.
My knowledge of Lower Merion was chiefly learned upon a farm, my early home. You, my friends, may be able to put your finger upon a certain little yellow patch in one of John Levering's township maps, but if you were to drive along the old Lancaster road to-day, the road now called in fashionable parlance Montgomery avenue, and try to locate that yellow patch upon the green earth, your attempt would be vain. The landmarks of my ancestral home have been so completely obliterated that you could probably find the ruins of ancient Troy far more readily than you could the old walls of this quaint, stone Pennsylvania farm house.
Do I not well remember the grand catalpa at the gate, the dense grove of towering trees, the tall ash, the stately pop- lar, the fragrant-blossomed wild cherry? Do I not well re- member the wilderness of old-fashioned roses, of creamy snow- balls, of odor-breathing lilacs? Do I not well remember the long, rambling stone mansion, with broad piazza, sloping roof, and picturesque dormer windows?
Now do not say to yourselves, this writer is giving us personal history; we care only for matters of general historic interest. I may be unfortunate in my mode of stating the fact, none the less is it true that my ancestral home is, or was, or ought to be, a locality of historic interest to the people of Lower Merion at least. I speak of the plants, small and great, which adorned a certain spot of ground in Lower Merion, because so many of them were planted by a man who was in advance of his time, in his intense interest in horticulture and arboriculture; so that one of the first historic facts relating to the township which I ever learned, was that Edward Harvey, a lineal descendant of Fitz Herve, one of the Norman compan-
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ions of William, the Conqueror; descended also from one of Richard Strongbow's attendant earls; and also from one of George Fox's earliest noble converts to Quakerism; Edward Harvey, a finished gentleman and scholar, unjustly deprived of his rightful inheritance in Ireland, and seeking to adorn his new home in the Quaker state of Pennsylvania, was the first to introduce into Lower Merion the ailanthus tree. Smile if you will; call this an anti-climax; but have you never heard that he who makes two blades of grass grow where one grew before may be called a benefactor to humanity? In those days the ailanthus was prized as the rare tree from "Paradise," the far-famed "Tree of Heaven." He who sought to give to his beloved home of adoption a precious plant, never lived to dis- cover his mistake; and if he cultivated the ill-scented ailan- thus, he also strove to nurture the fig and rose.
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